• CO Rick Reller (Buffalo) had a busy deer opener weekend with a lot of hunters out in the field with the fair weather.
Numerous complaints were investigated and several violations were found with the most common violation being hunting deer over a baited area.
Deer harvest over the weekend seemed to be up in the area from last year.
Enforcement action was taken for hunting deer over bait, not wearing blaze orange and transporting a loaded firearm on a motor vehicle

• CO Steve Walter (Waconia) investigated an elk which was caught on a trail camera by a bow hunter.
Several trespass complaints were handled, most of them deer hunters.
The deer opener was worked with very few deer taken and even fewer violations.
Several car-kill deer permits were issued.
Much of the week was spent on the telephone answering a variety of questions.
Local newspaper and TV interviews were given on the deer season and the elk seen on camera.
A district meeting was attended along with a retirement get together for LT Scott Carlson who will be missed by all.

• CO Jackie Glaser (Mound) worked the firearms deer opener in Sherburne County with CO Kanieski.
Most hunters had a successful deer hunt but numerous violations were found including transporting untagged deer, failing to validate site tags, no blaze orange and operate an unregistered ATV.
Three deer were also seized. Several calls were received about dumped deer and waterfowl carcasses.

• CO Wayne Hatlestad (Litchfield) checked waterfowl, pheasant, and archery deer hunting activity.
Additional time was spent working the firearms deer opener.
Hatlestad also checked angling and boating activity, and followed up on possible WCA violations.

• CO Brett Oberg (Hutchinson) worked an average opening to the firearms deer season.
However, hunters really enjoyed the warm weather they had.
Several calls were handled related to the deer season during the week.
CO Oberg handled calls dealing with wounded deer, trespassing, early shooting, and shinning.
CO Oberg also assisted hunters with a wounded deer that went on to a Nature Conservancy property that is closed to hunting.

• CO Angela Graham (Hutchinson) worked the firearms deer opener seeing several nice bucks, and one odd one.
Officer Graham received a call to come look at a deer that a Hutchinson resident had shot in Renville County; the buck had a large rack that hadn’t officially been scored but was at minimum a 17-pointer that was still in full velvet.
This was the hunter’s first deer in 15 years; he stated that it was worth the wait!
Enforcement action was taken on trespassing, trap tampering, hunting without a license, illegal party hunting, failure to register deer, and no license in possession.

Water Conditions: Most area wetlands are still full. Some sheet water can still be found, however fields have been drying out nicely.

Feeding Conditions: Most all of the corn and soybeans are out, so there are plenty of feeding fields available for waterfowl.

Species and Numbers: We have a good number of Canada geese in the area as well as a few small pockets of mallards.
Migrations: Nothing major with the current warm weather pattern.

Season Stage: We are six weeks into the regular season now.

Hunting Report: Goose hunting in our area has been fantastic over the last three or four days. Hunters have been reporting five and six man limits of geese daily. Duck hunting has still been pretty good for those who have been able to get on key feeding locations.

Gossip: Deer hunting is the sport of choice for most guys right now, so hunting pressure is minimal for waterfowl

Another strong harvest at Camp Ripley bow huntFrom the DNR

Archers harvested 220 deer and took eight bucks weighing more than 200 pounds at the second two-day hunt held at Camp Ripley on Oct. 30-31, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Those deer, coupled with the 287 taken during the Oct. 21-22 hunt, represent the third highest harvest at the Camp Ripley bow hunts.

The four-day total of 507 deer is about 64 percent above the long-term average harvest of 310 deer for the two hunts, and only nine fewer than the record 516 deer taken in 2008.

“Excellent weather helped hunters achieve a near record harvest and to take 28 bucks that weighed more than 200 pounds,” said Beau Liddell, DNR Little Falls Area wildlife manager. “The overall harvest and large buck harvest are both well over average, so this was an excellent hunt by any measure.”

A total of 5,002 permits were issued for both two-day hunts, with 4,294 hunters participating.

Hunter success during the first hunt was 13 percent (3 percent above average), and during the second hunt was 10 percent (1 percent above average).

The success rate was just above 11.5 percent for the two hunts, which is nearly identical to last year and 2.5 percent higher than the long-term average of 9 percent.

For the seventh year running, hunters at Camp Ripley were allowed to take up to two deer and to use bonus permits to increase harvest on antlerless deer.

“We’re very pleased with the results the past few years,” Liddell said. “Although Ripley bow hunters are known to be selective for bucks, we have seen increasing proportions of does and fawns taken in recent years to help control the population.”

The proportion of antlerless deer taken at Camp was 3 percent higher than last year and much higher than the long-term average of 55 percent, with about 63 percent of this year’s harvest comprised of does and fawns.

The largest buck, taken by Adam Breth of Moorhead during the second hunt, weighed 232 pounds.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is seeking entries by Dec. 7 for a contest to design a logo that will identify all projects funded by the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment.

Projects fall under one of four funds  clean water, outdoor heritage, parks and trails, and arts and cultural heritage  and the logo must cover them all.

The winning logo will be displayed throughout the state at access points to any land or water resources acquired or protected, construction projects, or printed and other materials that were funded by the Outdoor Heritage Fund, Parks and Trails Fund, Clean Water Fund, or the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.